Wood-burning stoves are used to heat homes and other enclosures. In a typical wood-burning stove, such as that installed in a home, the stove may include a container for holding pieces of chopped wood, and an exhaust pipe. The exhaust pipe typically runs from the top of the stove through the roof or side wall of the home. To use the wood-burning stove, a user stacks wood within the stove, lights the wood such that a fire starts, closes the front door or port, and then waits until the fire reaches a sufficient volume to heat the metal wall of the stove. The metal wall of the stove releases heat into the air outside the stove, heating the room where the stove is located. The stove may also have vents or other openings to allow the heated air within the stove to move from the stove to the room where the stove is located. Unused heated air exits the stove through the exhaust pipe. Ash from the burnt wood may stay in the stove, exit through the exhaust pipe, or be expelled into the room. When the wood within the stove is consumed by the fire, the user must open the front door and place new wood into the stove to keep the fire going or to start a new fire.
The wood-burning stove described above suffers from several drawbacks. For example, adding wood to the stove requires the user to open the front door and place more wood into the stove, which may be dangerous to the operator, requires the user to maintain the fire every few hours or even more frequently, and allows ash, sparks, and other unwanted particulates to exit the stove when the door is opened. Also, the outer surface of the stove itself, when in operation, may reach very high temperatures and may be dangerous to persons who contact the stove and may damage property that is near the stove, such as walls, ceilings, furniture, and other personal property. Furthermore, installation requires costly materials and labor to properly vent the exhaust pipe, typically requiring a hole to be cut in the ceiling and roof of the home. Lastly, the stove and exhaust pipe must be periodically cleaned, requiring the stove to be taken out of operation during cleaning.